This is just an article based on a few sentences from the Dean (and, as noted, probably in response to USNWR’s rejiggering of priorities)… How about we wait and see what actually happens before leaping to huge conclusions?
And btw, my child received significant merit aid but would have gone to Tulane either way. Wouldn’t surprise me if the data geniuses figured out there are many others like him.
It seems pretty clear that the Dean of Admissions has already moved forward with this plan:
Tulane has previously used Royall & Company (now called EAB) for its data analytics/data enrollment research/management https://www.eab.com/services/enrollment-services. They are a bit more sophisticated than being just “data geniuses”. When a school has a yield of under 20%, it often has difficulty with its budget. So it uses more sophisticated ways of getting the yield up and/or discerning what it will take to get a target student to attend.
And Tulane’s yield is now up to 29%, which is great for them. So the enrollment management analytics (and addition of ED I and II) have helped.
I read somewhere that only 40% of merit scholarships are claimed. My son attended two different high schools. Between his two schools - several friends held full tuition offers (Vandy, Boston University, USC) and at least one other half tuition offer. The Vandy person had a half tuition USC offer. A few had more than one half tuition offers. So perhaps those seeking academic aid may have less choices versus no choices.